[ex ante / from before]

The pulsating thumps of music from the Principia echoed in the brisk night air as Tessa, Sophia, and Dale crept down the trails of Camp Jupiter. The rhythm morphed from a vibrating beat down to their bones to a steady continuum inside of their hearts. As they walked, their bronze weapons in hand, the three girls became huntresses, predators, lionesses, on the hunt for their prey.

Their target took the form of a shroud, a figure that Tessa had become all too familiar with these past few months. Her sea-green eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of night, piercing the shadows surrounding herself and her friends as they scanned for the possible invader.

"What's the plan?" Dale whispered from behind Tessa. The daughter of Demeter had her Celestial bronze knife drawn, held steadily in her hand as she walked.

The trio of girls came to a stop at the intersection of two paths. Seeing as a good majority of campers were dancing the night away at Vinny's party, the common grounds and barracks of Camp Jupiter were silent. An occasional Lar would ripple into a lavender light, then promptly disappear, muttering 'filty graecuses' under its breath at seeing the three girls.

Tessa lowered Tempest, her battle senses kicking into gear. She trained herself to listen, and to see what she normally couldn't. She surveyed the streets—and honed in on the target that was about to get away.

"There!" She exclaimed, which probably wasn't the best idea. She sped off down the path, Sophia and Dale in her wake.

The shroud hurried off at an even faster rate with Tessa on its heels. It maneuvered its way down the Via Praetoria, avoiding the entrance to the Principia where some demigods were emerging for the night. It passed the residence halls and headed onto the main path towards the city of New Rome.

"Where's it going?" Sophia asked, the three girls falling into step as they bolted down the path. "And why's it here?"

Tessa watched as the shroud continued barreling its way up the path. "Guess we're about to find out," She responded breathily, picking up her pace.

The three girls continued sprinting down the path, in the wake of the shroud. It was surprisingly swift for a shadow, but as Tessa recalled, they could be quick if they wanted to be. It continued on its way, entering New Rome.

"Come on! It's getting away!" Dale's golden irises shimmered ethereally, and the next thing Tessa knew, the plants surrounding New Rome were bending to the daughter of Demeter's will. Flowers and vines twisted into a thick rope and shot out after the shroud, who just barely got away.

Tessa, Sophia, and Dale sped into New Rome, skidding to a stop as they surveyed their surroundings. They could see the forum in the near distance, and they were surrounded by villas and cafes and shops all around them. A short walk away was a building that Kaden had explained was the Senate House, where the officials of the valley would meet on pressing issues. However, as the three girls stood to catch their breath, their target had evaded them.

"That doesn't make any sense," Sophia breathed, blowing a strand of her fiery hair out of her face. "It's behavior as we chased it made it seem like it wanted us to follow it."

Dale scanned the city, searching for the shroud that had melted into the shadows. "Could it be an eidolon? Kaya and Alex mentioned that they've been attacked by them here, too."

Tessa knit her eyebrows. "But the eidolons are working with the rebel force from Operation: Delta." She glanced back at her friends. "Could it have been one of them?"

"But how would they have gotten inside of the camp? The sentries are still on duty." Dale countered.

Tessa bit her lip in thought. Whoever or whatever the shroud really was had enough sense to invade camp when a good majority of the legion would be otherwise occupied. Under the cover of darkness, it could have blended in, had it not been for Tessa and her odd ability to spot shrouds when no one else could. But what did it want? Why was it here?

"Let's get back," She decided, surveying the forum around her one last time.

Together, she and her friends slowly made their way back to camp. All the while, Tessa kept a careful eye out for any more mischievous shrouds that had some sort of vendetta against the girl who could see them for what they truly were. Nothing would get past her, she just needed the boost of evidence that would set her on the right path.

~~

"So what's the plan again?" Reese asked, flipping through the Operation: Delta folder.

Kaya, at the front of the group, sighed. "We're headed to Alcatraz to investigate the asset," She clarified, stopping as they reached the end of a sidewalk.

Tessa glanced around at the city of San Francisco. It had only been five months since she'd been here last, and yet it still felt like lifetimes ago. Besides, they were on their way to Pier 39, where she and her friends had met Theseus, and where Tessa and Kaden had followed Deimos' henchmen to Alcatraz. Now, she, her task-force, and Kaya were headed back to the latter, donning coats and backpacks that concealed their weapons as they moved through the metropolis.

"So in other words," Reese shut the folder, slipping it into his backpack as they waited for the light to change. "We're going to stare at a door."

Sophia suppressed a groan. "Reese, oh my gods," She shot a look at the son of Apollo. "Does this mean nothing to you?"

"What?" Reese countered, his tone defensive. "That's what we're going to be doing. We can't go into the Labyrinth, so we're just going to be staring at it."

"He's got a point," Kaden chimed. The light changed, and they crossed the street. "Besides, I'm more interested in hearing about that mark on your neck."

Reese's hand flew up to his neck, a look of panic in his blue eyes. "What're you talking about?"

Tessa narrowed her eyes in suspicion at the son of Apollo. As they reached the opposite side of the street, she snatched his hand away from the spot it was covering, and sure enough, a reddish blotch was on his skin. She arched an eyebrow at him.

"Reese," She whispered in disbelief. "What the heck?"

The blond headed boy shook his head wildly, his gaze flicking back to Dale, who didn't seem to be paying attention. "It's not what it looks like!"

Kaden smirked. "Do we want to know?"

"No," Reese managed. "I mean, yes. I mean, it isn't what it looks like!"

"Yeah, okay," Kaden nodded. "Sure."

Before he could get in anymore harassment on Reese's end, the group approached Pier 39. Tessa's moderately amused smile instantly faded as the sound of waves crashing against the docks and sea lions barking in the distance filled the air.

"We're here," Kaya announced over the chatter of tourists.

They stopped at the entrance, and Tessa found herself searching for the place where she and her friends had gotten out of their taxi in July, discovering Mark's new stash of money that he had supposedly won. The thought made her heart twist, and she returned her focus to the praetor at the head of the group.

"Now, Tessa, Kaden, how did you both get to Alcatraz from here?" Kaya asked, casting her dark irises over the two of them.

Kaden readjusted his backpack strap, glancing at Tessa tentatively. She promptly looked away, meeting the praetor's gaze.

"Kaden and I were following a possible lead. Our targets had acquired a means of transportation to the island that we weren't able to stowaway aboard, so instead, we hijacked one of the boats in the dock and I manipulated the currents to follow." Tessa explained briskly. "Would you like me to do the same thing today?"

"No, that won't be necessary," Kaya held up a hand. She peered over her shoulder, and scanned the pier. There was a significant amount of tourists there, despite it being the middle of winter, but Tessa noted that it was a lot more crowded when she had been in this very place in the summer.

An announcement blared from the speakers around the pier, informing the masses that the next tour to Alcatraz would be leaving in five minutes. Upon hearing the news, Kaya turned around and grinned.

"There we go," She clapped her hands together. "Let's get a move on."

The six demigods made their way to the edge of the pier, following the group of tourists into a decent-sized boat. Tessa sat squished in between Dale and some middle-aged man, who was very loudly talking on his cell-phone. Reese and Kaden were across the aisle, with Kaya and Sophia in the seats in front of them.

As the boat took off, Tessa turned to Dale carefully. The daughter of Demeter sat with a stern look on her face, her golden eyes as hard as stone. It was understandable for Dale to be distant following the events of that summer's quest, but as Tessa weighed her best friend's emotions, she knew it was a whole lot more than that.

"Dale?" Tessa muttered. "You okay?"

"I'm fine," Dale retorted, her voice breathy.

Tessa gave her friend a look. "Okay, I know you're not trying to pull that on me."

The edges of Dale's lips twitched, like she wanted to smile, but whatever was on her mind was keeping her from it. She sighed, meeting Tessa's gaze.

"I know about Reese and Imogen." She deadpanned, shooting a careful glance at the son of Apollo across the way.

Tessa thought, and the image of the blonde girl who had escorted Reese back to the Principia that first day surfaced to her memory. "That's her name," She said in discovery. "But...they're a thing? It's been, what, three days?"

Dale shrugged half-heartedly. "A lot can happen in three days." She shot a pointed look at Tessa, who bit her lip guiltily. She wasn't exactly one to talk, considering all that was forming between herself and Kaden.

"That aside," Tessa continued. "I thought you and him were together. What's up with that?"

Dale shut her eyes, exhaling slowly. "At first, I thought we were something too. Then the quest happened, and Mark," She took a ragged breath. "And now I just don't think romance is what I need right now."

Tessa nodded slowly. She'd been so convinced that Dale was head over heels for the son of Apollo, remembering how she'd stare off into space anytime he was in the same room as them before the quest. However, Dale had a point. She'd been through too much lately, and to force a relationship where one wasn't in the stars to occur wasn't the best way to deal with it.

"He's a dork anyway," Tessa whispered conspiratorially.

Dale stifled a small laugh. "If there's one thing Reese Hale is, it's a dork."

Tessa smiled and somehow, in that short moment, one of her worries that had woven around her heart like a net loosened and loosened, until it disappeared.

~~

Alcatraz was just how Tessa remembered it, save the spook factor that was reserved for the middle of the night when the island was monster-infested. That being said, the sunlight and chatter that filled Tessa's surroundings almost put her nerves at ease as she and her friends embarked through the attraction, weaving around tour groups and park rangers.

The demigods made their way into the central building of the prison, following Tessa through the halls. As she walked, Tessa glanced around, and if she thought hard enough, she could see a dark haired girl and a boy with green eyes creeping through the prison.

Tessa inhaled sharply, turning into the central prison block. What she would have given to go back to that summer, where her problems were embodied into one figure that she could defeat. Now...worries and fears were manifest in everyone she cared about, in every place she called home.

"Where exactly was the entrance to the Labyrinth?" Sophia called as they ducked past another tour group moving on the opposite side of the cell block.

Tessa reached the end of the aisle, and pointed to the entry of the stairwell on the opposite wall. Just as it had been the last time she'd seen it, it looked abandoned, unused, overlooked by every mortal that walked past it.

She crossed the hall, and in one swift moment, disappeared behind the door. Her friends followed, and she met Kaden's gaze as he shut the door behind everyone.

"The part of the prison that the entrance lies in has clearly been unused for years," The son of Venus announced. "It can be a little...disturbing to see. Just a heads up."

"Define disturbing," Reese asked as they descended the staircase.

"The thought of whatever you and your lady friend were doing that gave you that mark." Tessa responded, not even looking back to hear the son of Apollo make a sound like a cat being strangled. She fist-bumped Sophia and Dale, who had flanked her on either side and made sounds of impression.

The demigods reached the end of the stairwell, and the hidden sector of Alcatraz filled their gazes. While Tessa and Kaden knew what to expect, their friends did not. They reacted the same way their friends had, drawing their weapons for light and staring in horror at the decrepit, blood-stained cells.

"Was this some sort of torture chamber?" Kaya asked in disbelief, eyeing the mangled bars of a cell.

"It's likely," Sophia responded. "While this would be evidence enough, there are no historical accounts of major torture being issued upon inmates when the prison was functioning."

"Would they care to reopen the case?" Dale sniffed, waving her bronze knife over a stain on the floor.

Tessa fought the shiver that spider-walked down her spine. They turned a corner, and sure enough, the modern silver door gleamed before it, its glowing blue delta the key to what lied hidden behind it.

Reese let out a low whistle at the sight of Labyrinth entrance. "So this is it, huh?"

Kaden nodded. He walked forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Tessa, who bristled. Maybe she was just being moody, but she was still a little upset over what had ensued the past night at Vinny's party. Before her heart and mind could engage in civil war, she turned to Kaya.

"If the rebels are using this entrance to attack camp, there's bound to be some form of evidence or clues that they've accidentally left behind. No army can move through the Labyrinth that quickly without leaving something in their wake." She reported.

The daughter of Trivia nodded, surveying the area. "There aren't many places they'd be able to hide either, if it came down to it."

"The Labyrinth is designed to be hiding place enough," Sophia countered. "If they needed to use it to hide, all they'd have to do is run through it and their pursuer would lose them."

Kaya narrowed her eyes at the daughter of Athena. "You sure know a lot about this."

Sophia met the praetor's gaze challengingly. "The creator was a son of Athena. The Labyrinth is both the most prideful and the most shameful legacy of children of Athena to date."

Kaya arched an eyebrow. "I think I know of something that could surpass that," She mused.

Sophia frowned, but the praetor exhaled, moving on. "Let's look around," She ordered. "Maybe we'll find something."

The task force dispersed themselves begrudgingly into the various chambers and cells of the sector. Tessa emerged into a fairly small room, Tempest's bronze glow bouncing off of the decrepit walls. She surveyed the floor, for any sign of a clue, but came up empty-handed.

"Find anything?" Kaden's voice chimed softly.

Tessa jumped, turning around and seeing her boyfriend enter the chamber. He wore an apologetic look in his eyes, a soft smile on his lips, and Tessa's heart squeezed uncomfortably.

"Oh, uh, no," She reported, averting her gaze. "Nothing of any interest."

Kaden knit his eyebrows together as he investigated the room. He held his Imperial gold sword in his hand, and Tessa watched as the metal shimmered in the low light. For years, Tessa had wondered why his weapon was gold, and now that she knew, she wished she didn't.

Kaden sighed, lowering his sword. "You're right."

Tessa arched an eyebrow, "Did you think I wasn't?"

Kaden jolted in alarm. "No," He said. "Not at all. I just thought you might have needed an extra set of eyes."

Tessa nodded absentmindedly, looking back around the room. "Well, now we know for sure." She said briskly.

Silence filled the air, and Tessa pressed her lips together into a thin line to keep from speaking. She couldn't trust herself to say anything that would help hers and Kaden's situation, even if it seemed stable at the moment. Their relationship was strong, sure, but the longer they were in Rome, the more different fractures and cracks were splintering across it.

"Found something!" Kaya's voice echoed through the sector, shaking Tessa and Kaden out of their reverie. They made their way to where the daughter of Trivia was squatted, a few feet from the Labyrinth's steel door.

Kaya stood, holding what looked like a key card in her hand. "Labyrinth entrances don't need key cards, I presume?" She glanced at Sophia, who nodded.

Tessa made a face. Kaya handed her the clue, and Tessa inspected it. There were no stigmas, no logos that would say where the card had been from or would access. The only point of interest would be the barcode on the back, which would unlock whatever the card was designated for.

"Where'd you find this?" Kaden asked as Tessa passed the card to him. He squinted at it carefully before looking back up to his superior.

Kaya nodded to a point on the floor which was covered in not only regular dust, but shimmering golden dust as well. "There," She said.

Tessa and Kaden crouched down before it, investigating the area. Tessa swiped her finger in the golden dust, rubbing it between the pads of her fingers. "This isn't monster dust," She wiped her hands, frowning at the dust.

"No, but it is mythological," Kaden said. "It's Imperial gold," He paused, thinking. "Gunpowder?"

"Gunpowder?" Reese echoed. "That doesn't make any sense. What demigod fights with gunpowder?"

"None of them do," Kaya folded her arms, her face etched with concentration. "At least, not anymore. Demigods of the past used it in muskets and bayonets during times of war against monsters, helped them disguise their more ancient weapons as more typical ones."

"So...this dust is from, what, colonial times?" Dale asked, leaning against the wall.

Kaya shook her head. "No, I don't think so. Imperial gold dust was also used in cannonballs, especially during the American Civil War."

Sophia lit up. "Which was a conflict between Greek and Roman demigods, right?"

"Correct."

Sophia spread her hands. "Then this is so easy!"

"Do explain." Reese drawled. "You're the only one that knows about both ancient, modern, and military history."

"The Romans fought on the Confederate side during the Civil War, which would explain the Imperial gold dust. Since Camp Jupiter is based in California, this entrance of the Labyrinth could have been used to transport weapons to the Confederates after the Mississippi River was blockaded." Sophia explained. "But since this dust is otherwise new, and the key card was found on top of it, they both probably have some connection to one location in particular."

"Which would be...?" Reese motioned for her to keep going.

Sophia frowned. "That's all I've got," She said. "The Confederates had a lot of bases, but I would bet that the owner of this key-card is somewhere in the South, in either Virginia or Louisiana."

"Why there?" Dale asked.

"Louisiana was the main port for the South before the North blockaded it," Tessa responded, surprising herself. "And Virginia had the capital of the Confederacy."

"So we run the card through a demigod database to find a match in either Richmond or New Orleans?" Kaden clarified, standing up.

"It's as good a plan as any." Kaya sighed, running a hand through her dark hair. "Did anyone find anything else?"

A groan ripping through the framework of the prison answered her, and everyone looked at one another in alarm.

"Was that the building groaning or a ghost?" Reese squeaked, his blue eyes darting from side to side.

"I'd rather not stick around to find out," Tessa responded. "Given the part of the prison we're in."

The demigods cast a final look around the hidden sector, and as another groan emanated from the walls, they sprinted back towards the stairwell, eager to leave the prison chambers and their cloudy mysteries behind.

~~

As always, Camp Jupiter was bustling when they returned. A day of festivities had ended, and the legion was back to work with training. Everywhere Tessa looked as she made her way back to the residence hall, Romans were donning their purple t-shirts, with the occasional legionnaire in golden armor as well.

The group had dispersed upon arriving back to camp. Kaya had taken the evidence, and with Dale and Sophia's help, they'd get to work on determining where the key-card and Imperial gold dust were coming from. Alex had been waiting for them on the Via Principalis, and escorted Kaden to the Principia without another word. So Tessa and Reese were left to their own devices as they made their way back to the residence hall.

Tessa's turquoise eyes fixed themselves on the red mark on Reese's neck. He'd taken off his jacket--seeing as like Camp Half-Blood, Camp Jupiter had a weather barrier surrounding it—which only exposed the mystery mark.

"Imogen's a biter?" Tessa asked nonchalantly.

Reese looked at her so quickly that Tessa was surprised he didn't get whiplash. "What?" She pointed to the mark on his neck, and the son of Apollo sighed. "For the last time, she didn't bite me!"

"She kissed you?"

He hesitated. "No!"

"You hesitated!"

Reese dragged a hand through his blond hair. "Tessa, please, you're killing me."

Tessa grinned. "Just sleuthing, Hale, get used to it."

Reese dragged out a sigh. "If you must know—"

"Reese!" A feminine voice called.

"Speak of the devil." Reese mumbled, despite the cheery look in his eyes. "Hey, Gen."

Tessa arched an eyebrow as the blonde Roman girl approached. What, was she waiting for him? Nonetheless, Imogen—Gen, whatever—sauntered up to him, a glint in her eyes.

"I see you're back," She said sunnily. Her gaze flicked to Tessa, and she gave her a onceover before smiling. "Who's this?"

"No one you need to worry about," Tessa responded. "Yet."

Imogen's smile melted but Tessa clapped Reese on his shoulder, marching off. "Leave room for Jesus," She called over her shoulder.

"He's not even—," Reese cut himself off by groaning, and Tessa only laughed as she made her way into the residence hall.

Tessa made her way up to her room, and as soon as she entered, she peeled off her warm clothes for shorts and a t-shirt before disappearing into the bathroom. Given the past night's events with the shroud and the mission to Alcatraz, she needed to cover some things with her sister, just to make sure that her home was safe.

She snatched a drachma from the bag in her backpack and bolted back into the bathroom, shutting the door. Tessa turned on the faucet and waited for the water to heat up to the point where it was steaming. Thankfully, it didn't take long, and mist filled the room in only a few minutes.

Tessa tossed the drachma into the rainbow once it formed, her voice clear as she spoke. "O Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering. Show me Madi McKinley at Camp Half-Blood."

The mist shimmered, and like a video chat, her sister's face rippled into existence. She was laughing at something, lost in conversation. Judging by the masculine voice on the other end, Tessa guessed that Madi was with Ben.

"Madi!" She exclaimed.

The hazel-eyed girl turned, her irises widening. "Tessa! Hey, what's up? Is everything alright?"

Tessa exhaled. "To a degree."

At her sister's confused expression, Tessa explained what was happening with the shroud and what had ensued at Alcatraz. Madi listened all the while, and eventually, Ben scooted into the image as well, typing away at a silver laptop.

"So what do you want us to do?" Madi asked when she finished.

Tessa thought. "Get a small group together and do some investigating of your own. Something doesn't seem right, and with all of this talk about the Labyrinth, I want you guys to try to locate and disable an entrance that's inside or around camp."

Madi furrowed her eyebrows together, but nodded. "Anything else?"

The request came to mind too fast for Tessa to fight it. Besides, what if they were somehow connected?

"Get Amelie to track Mark," Tessa commanded.

"But, Tessa, he's—" Ben countered, looking up from his screen.

"I know," Tessa lied. "But still. It'll give me some peace of mind."

Ben met Tessa's intense stare, and sighed. "On it. As for this task force you're assembling, are there any requests as to who it should consist of? I'm assuming you want to keep it small and close-knit, people you trust?"

Ever the strategist, Tessa thought in impression.

"You and Madi, obviously," She recited. "Amelie, Flynn, Calum, Nova, Sierra—you know, the Apollo girl?—Orpheus and Adhara."

Madi and Ben made a strangled sound in unison. "Adhara? Why her?" Madi asked.

"Because," Tessa snapped. "She's the daughter of Nemesis and has ties to New Orleans if I'm not mistaken. If the key-card we found correlates to the city, she might be able to locate where, exactly."

Madi made a sour face, but sighed. "Okay," She conceded.

Tessa grinned, and was about to sign off when a feeling like an earthquake tremored beneath her feet. Her smile melted, and she hopped off of the bathroom counter.

"Tessa? What was that?" Madi asked in alarm.

Tessa padded over to the bathroom window and peered out of it. She couldn't see much, but she could see legionnaires sprinting in the same direction, shouts of panic and command muffled by her location. Whatever had just happened, it was bad.

"I've gotta go," Tessa responded, whirling around. She pulled Tempest out of her pocket, tapping the aquamarine gem on the pin and watching as it elongated into her sword.

"Wait—what—Tessa!" Madi exclaimed, but her sister cut her off by slashing her sword through the connection. Tessa bolted from the bathroom, hopping into her shoes, slipping on Artemis' armlet, and taking off from her room.

She followed the other demigods like lemmings, emerging from the residence hall with weapons in hand and commands flying through the air in Latin. Tessa wasn't sure what had happened, but a plume of onyx smoke was billowing into the air from New Rome, so she barreled off in that direction.

"Tessa!" Kaden's voice called, and Tessa didn't have to turn to know that he'd fallen into step beside her. "What happened?"

"Judging from the smoke and the tremors, an explosion," Tessa reported as they followed the other members of the legion into New Rome.

"But who set it off?" Kaden questioned.

Sounds of battle filled the air, and Tessa spotted a Roman demigod fighting a soldier in black combat gear. Smoke billowed around them like a war zone, and one voice pierced the others.

"I believe I did," A voice that was all too familiar to Tessa spoke, filled with its typical confidence but lacking all of the amusement and cheeriness.

Ice filled Tessa's veins as she turned, and with a tremble, she found herself staring at Mark Akagi, dressed in black as if he'd emerged from the smoke he ignited. She couldn't speak, she couldn't move, not even as he drew his obsidian katana and charged at her.